Research Strand As an artist, you will become a visual researcher, a conceptual explorer and a cultural archaeologist. You will explore and investigate, delve into the past and present and discover possibilities for the future.
The Research strand should focus on:
l looking, using primary sources or examples of significant works of Visual Studies
l recording and documenting your thoughts, ideas, findings and observations in your sketchpad
l experimenting with and interpreting what you have observed, further developing your observations and experimenting with the work and ideas
l contextual enquiries, researching and discovering more about the context (circumstances or situation) with regard to own work and the artwork of others in Visual Studies
l following a process in your research.
Researching works of art is a meaningful and lasting experience. Look, read, sketch, take photos and make written notes using appropriate visual and critical vocabulary. Close observation, careful thinking, researching and discovering more about works of art, the artists who made them and the context in which they were created is both rewarding and satisfying.
One of best ways to appreciate a work of art is to investigate it through its subject or theme, its art elements, context and background. It is best to engage with the work directly in a site-specific location or in a museum or gallery, but it can also be done with reproductions in a classroom discussion.
Analysing a Work of Art or Design
Look – Take time to look at the work of art, paying close attention to details.
l What do you notice? l Continue to look for 30 seconds and then turn away.
l What details do you remember? l Look back again. l What did you overlook?
Describe – Use visual and cultural language to describe what you see.
Art style – Is it Abstract, Realist, Expressionist …?
Theme or subject matter – What is this painting about? What do you see? What do think it means?
Composition – How have the art elements and design principles in the artwork been put together? In what direction is your eye drawn? Is the composition:
l landscape (horizontal) or portrait (vertical)? l following the rule of thirds (Fig. 2)? l in a triangular shape (Fig. 3)? l based on the Golden Mean (Fig. 4)?
Figure 2 The rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is more of a guideline than a rule. It helps the artist with the placement of art elements and the focal point within the composition.
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INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL STUDIES
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